Manhunt
by NightmareWalker
Summary: Alisa thought she had escaped her past, but it seems it has come back to haunt her...M just to be safe, for language and mild suggestions.


So, this is my first fanfic, please be gentle! *bows* Just my own story, one-shot right now, possibly more chapters later, depending on your reviews :) Please r and r, they make my world go round, and help alleviate stress from finals o_o

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She put the gun to her head, screaming at the man standing in front of her in the empty building. "I'm disposable right? Just another body to bury. I don't mean anything! Tell me why I shouldn't kill myself!" Her breath hitched on the last word, turning into a cut off sob, and the man rocked forward on his feet like he wanted to run over and wrest the gun from her grip. Instead, he said as calmly as he could, "Alisa, put it down, _please_. We can go home and figure this out I know-"

"No, dammit Ethan, just give me one reason!" He saw her finger move to the trigger of the 9mm, and shouted, "Wait!" She hesitated for a second, and her took the opportunity to leap forward and knock the gun away from her head, yelling as they fought for the weapon. "I can't tell you why you shouldn't kill yourself! Maybe your life has been real shitty up to this point and maybe you're sick of it! I know you were abused horribly by your family, I know you had a bad childhood, but you've gotten away from all of that! Alisa, you're only twenty-two, you're in your second year of college! You've got the rest of your life ahead of you, and you want to kill yourself! Why?!"

He shook her roughly as he spoke, trying to shake some sense into her, and Alisa responded by kicking him in the crotch. He backpedaled quickly, clutching himself and groaning quietly. She stepped back several feet and raised the gun in his direction, waving it around haphazardly and said, "You want to know why I want to die Ethan? Let me show you." She pulled up her shirt, baring her stomach and ribs to him, and his jaw dropped at the sight of the bruises and cuts marring her abdomen. "What, who, Alisa, what the hell happened? Who did-"

"Who the hell do you think did it? That bastard found me, he found out I was going to college here, followed me for who knows how long, and cornered me at the bar. That bastard got me alone behind the bar when I was taking the trash out, drunk as hell, tottering like a baby, and he cornered me."

"Why didn't you fight back? I know you've been taking those judo classes, why didn't you kick his ass and show him he couldn't push you around anymore?"

"He caught me completely off guard, Ethan. Here I've thought the bastard was in jail this whole time for hurting me and mom, and he staggers up to me and says they let him out a year ago for 'good behavior.' He came up to me and said 'how's my cute little bean doing?' like he loves me, then when I try to go around him; he grabs my jacket and shoves me against the wall. I grabbed his arm to try and get him off me, but he…he got a lot stronger in prison." She started trembling once she spoke those words, and Ethan straightened slightly, wanting to put his arms around her, but afraid she might do something drastic if he did.

She took a breath, the gun now hanging unnoticed at her waist, her unoccupied hand fluttering absentmindedly along her other arm, something she only did when she was extremely anxious. "He took the bottle in his hand and hit me a couple times in the ribs and arm. I managed to knock it away from him, but he just kept hitting me. I just couldn't do anything." She was shivering now, eyes locked on some memory, and she stuttered as she spoke. "It was like I was that little girl again who watched from the corner, completely horrified as he beat my mother with his bare hands. He knocked my head against the wall, and I fell down. I tried to get back up, but he kicked me in the ribs, over and over, until I couldn't feel them anymore." She moved to lean against a post, and he watched her face contort in pain.

"When he was done, he leaned down and whispered real quiet in my ear 'you cant hide from me anymore, little bean. I'll find you, no matter where you go, and if you don't play the game right, I'll kill you and your friends.'" She was trembling violently now, clutching her free arm to her side and looking like a bird with a broken wing. She pushed off of the pole, groaning as sharp pain lanced through her side, clenching her fist as though that might help ease the pain.

Ethan saw an opening to get close to her at that moment, and stood up slowly, unfolding his six-foot tall frame inch by inch until he stood erect. He slowly started walking toward her, watching her as he might a wild animal, keeping his movements small and nonthreatening as he approached her. She regarded him warily, black curls in disarray, green eyes wide and panicked, but she didn't move to get away from him as he came closer. He put his hands up slowly; keeping them in her sight as he walked nearer, until they stood so close he could see the sweat that beaded on her face. He slowly put one hand down, reaching carefully for the gun held loosely in her left hand, and when his hand closed around it, she stiffened but didn't fight him as he eased it out of her hand. He ejected the clip and put it in his pocket and tucked the gun into the waistband of his jeans.

Still moving slowly, he took his other hand and put it on her cheek, rubbing one thumb gently along her brow over a short scar that ran through her right eyebrow, thinly separating her eyebrow into two parts. He saw her eyes widen more, white contrasting with her dark skin, and felt her stiffen so she resembled a statue. He just kept running his thumb along her brow, saying softly, "And you, being the noble martyr, decided that killing yourself would solve everything. Alisa, when will you learn that you can trust me?"

She leaned against his chest, crying and holding her ribs against the pain, and he gingerly wrapped his arms around her, not caring that she was soaking his shirt, just thanking whatever beings out there that she was standing in front of him. Leaning down, he gently picked her up in his arms and began walking back toward his car, stepping out into the rain and lifting his head back to feel it drip coldly onto his face. He felt it run down his arms, his back, felt the cold water mix with the sweat that had been dripping down his body. As he set Alisa gently onto the pavement and opened the car door for her to get in, he suddenly felt the 9mm being pulled from the waistband of his jeans. Whipping around, he caught a glint of light on the barrel of the gun, and then grunted and fell to the pavement as the butt of the weapon smacked against his temple.

Alisa looked on, horrified into stillness, as a face materialized out of the shadows, body enveloped in rainwater, mad eyes shadowed under lowered brows until the face was warped into something out of a nightmare. Her mouth opened and shut soundlessly as the barrel of the weapon was raised to her face, and she looked down the bore into black nothing. Raising her eyes to the face hidden in shadows, Alisa wrapped her arms around her injured ribs, flinching as words were suddenly hurled out of the murky dark like daggers.

"You just couldn't play my way, could you little bean? I told you what would happen, and you went and broke the rules anyway." Tsking as she whimpered and sank to her knees beside Ethan, who was groaning on the ground, the voice continued. "Well, little bean, let's play another game. How about manhunt? Yeah, that sounds good. You know the rules for this one bean, come on now stand up." A cold smile shown out of the shadows, and Alisa lurched to her feet, face hidden behind a mass of damp curls. She stood with her head bent and the voice laughed, a hysterical high pitched sound that made goose bumps rise on her arms and memories of raised hands and screams resound in her head.

"Good girl, I knew you'd remember this one. Now I'm gonna give you to the count of ten, then-" he broke off as she rushed him, ignoring the pain in her ribs as she tackled him. She used his surprise to her advantage, putting her year's worth of judo classes to practical use for the first time. She grabbed his shoulders and pushed him off balance and took her foot and hooked it behind his ankle and pulled it forward so it crumpled under him. They fell onto the pavement, and the gun flew from his hand when he hit the ground. He turned murderous eyes to Alisa, using his larger physique to hit her in the arm and free his shoulders. Alisa sat her small frame on his stomach and struggled to find the gun, which she had heard skitter off to her left somewhere, as the larger body under her writhed and cursed, trying to buck her off.

"Damn you, you little bitch! You've ruined the game now, and I'll make you pay for it." He lurched up suddenly, dumping her on the ground, and kicked her viciously in the side. Alisa gasped for air as her fractured ribs protested against the abuse, and her hand went blindly into the dark murk, grasping desperately at cold steel, just managing to hold on as he kicked her again. He leaned over and grabbed her mane of thick curls, pulling her up roughly by the roots of her hair. She cried out and pulled on his arm weakly with one hand, trying to both pull him off her and minimize the pain in her skull. He pulled her further up so she was standing, head bent back as he yanked on her scalp. "I got you now, you little bitch. This reminds me of a game I played with your mother, oh yes, you look just like she did." His eyes glazed over as he remembered that night, and Alisa saw an opportunity.

He felt her body tense and came out of his reverie in time to see silver flash as she brought the 9mm up to his face. A chill ran the length of his body and he let go of her hair, taking only a step back before she said, "Don't." The duo faced off, crazed obsidian meeting resolute hazel, and then his gaze shifted to the trigger, watching her every movement. He saw her finger curl around a harmless looking piece of metal, and as her grip tightened he started to laugh. Alisa never wavered, she just said, "Go to hell." There was a flash of orange reflecting brightly of cold metal, then-

She bolted upright in the bed, putting her knuckles to her mouth to keep from screaming. Eyes wide with terror, she sat on the bed, breathing heavily as her mind replayed the last sound she had heard, over and over, echoing hauntingly in her head. She had seen the flash of orange, and then black filled her vision. She had expected to wake up then, but instead her father's laughter continued. She didn't hear or see anything else, just his maniacal laughter filling her head, starting as a low chuckle and building up to the loud, high pitched laugh she had come to associate with doom. She sat trembling in the bed, then jumped when arms came gently around her and Ethan's voice whispered in her ear, "Shh, it's okay Alisa. It was just a nightmare, just a nightmare. Come on, you're awake, everything's okay."

She nodded mutely then turned toward him, resting her head against his chest, the steady _thump thump, thump thump_ of his heart bringing her breathing back to normal and calming her. He rubbed her back softly, feeling her taut muscles slowly relaxing as she calmed down. Putting his hands on her shoulders, Ethan pulled her back far enough so she looked at him, saying wryly, "Are you okay now, or do I have to do something else to make you forget that nightmare?" grinning wickedly as his hands slowly eased down her back, he waited for her to decide, trying not to laugh as he watched desire and sleep war for dominance on her face. Apparently sleep won out, because she leaned into him and snuggled close, whispering drowsily, "You pervert. Go to sleep, and maybe tomorrow…fun…love…" her last words fading as she sank back into oblivion, arms wrapped loosely around his waist, breathing deeply. Ethan just shook his head, kissed her forehead, and shut his eyes, keeping his arms locked around her, letting her know even in sleep, he was there.

The two of them slept peacefully that night, neither aware of the figure which watched silently from a car parked outside his dorm, crazed obsidian eyes glinting above a widely smiling mouth. "Found you, little bean. Let the game begin!"

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So, was it good, bad, horrible? Or maybe it was a great tragic comedy! Hm, the possibilities! Let me know what you think and if I should continue or not, just click the little button below this :) Gracias, amigos y...stalker peoples who look in my window as I'm watching Three Men and a Baby (You know, the scene near the end, the camera pans across the room, and there's a little boy staring at the camera by the window) o.0


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